Coachella Valley's Golden Years

The image of the desert has long been a hostile one. Early explorers found the Colorado Desert no exception. Undaunted early settlers and homesteaders brought the first changes to this concept, and water provided reclamation's magic, now apparent in the Coachella Valley. The coming of the railroad was an important factor in opening the desert to settlement. The homesteaders were intrepid, curious and determined, and they brought perseverance to bend the will of the desert to their own plans. The discovery of the great underground water resources by the railroad provided the first stimulus and a trickle of farmers. Additional farmers dug more wells, punched them deeper with hydraulic rigs, put electrically-powered engines to work and carried the flow of water to the thirsting, fertile land. The brief history of the Coachella Valley Country Water District's first years. Coachella Valley Water District, 1978, 120 pages, softcover